Coffee Industry Essay Example for Free

Coffee Industry Essay People usually drink coffee to stay up while awake at night, besides that many people rely on coffee to get their day started. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, â€Å"Drinking coffee can lead to a longer life†; however, many consumers have no idea of the impact of habits on their coffee and coffee farmers around the globe, ethical issues of consumers with the industry is not fair; but to coffee farmers, the issues are human rights violations and use of child labor issues need to be addressed. To remedy this situation, the fair trade will hopefully improve the living conditions of some of the poorest people in the world through certified value and the change in the consumers choice. Coffee is one of the most valuable commodities in the world, most of the farmers in the form of small retail and come from developing countries, although the majority of coffee sales are in the America and Europe many people around the world rely on coffee to work and have a better life; however, to producing quality coffee, farmers have to work very hard though farmers receive very little money and the inequity of the coffee producing companies when they sell coffee. Working conditions of farmers in the plantations are very different, although they work hard , but it paid for exploitation, for example , in Guatemala , coffee pickers to harvest 100 pounds to get the minimum wage $ 3 per day (The Problem with Fair Trade Coffee 2010),farmers have to work overtime and do not earn extra money, so farmers use child labor for the production of coffee to save money and use these chemicals effect of the human body in order for a fast development of coffee sale on the market. Moreover, using the chemicals and the development of the coffee industry adversely affect habitat and species decline. In addition, forests are cut down to coffee production affects the environment and soil erosion. According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), â€Å"converting forest to tea and coffee agriculture can also create erosion and soil loss† (WWF 2010) ; yet the farmers have no choice and/or the opportunity to change. According to the International Coffee Organization or ICO â€Å"Coffee production in 2012 was 144 611 000 bags, mostly from less developed countries such as, Brazil 50 826 000 bags. Vietnam 22 000 000 bags and Indonesia 12 730 000 bags â€Å" (ICO 2013), though coffee production is highly ranked in the world, but farmers still do not get enough money to pay for life, for example, Vietnam in 2012, producing nearly 30 % of world coffee production but the turnover is only 10 % of the total trade value obtained from the global industry, the main reason is due to their ability to improve processing of value and coffee products are limited, coffee roasting plants in countries with rates lower than 10%, when farmers sells 1kg of coffee beans, farmers gets about 2 dollars or an average price of one cup of coffee oversea, yet 1 kg of coffee can make 50 cups. In addition, the links between farmers and enterprises are not strong, the lack of information on farmers markets, so farmers often extorted. Moreover, the risk of crop failure is the fear of the coffee growers. Most of the profits from coffee for export processing enterprises, coffee farmers only enjoy a small percentage. That has caused insecurity for farmers. Solution to this problem is the fair trade. According to Wikimedia, Fair trade coffee is coffee that is certified as having been produced and marketed to a stated set of standards. Many Customers pay a higher price when buying coffee with the certification logo or brand in the Belief Furniture , by doing so, they are helping farmers in the Third World . In particular, the fair trade coffee movement gives a reasonable price to the Farmers who were being a low wage labor exploitation. However, achieve certification of fair trade, farmers must meet several conditions of production as farmers have to meet a large variety of production standards : there are limits on the use of child labor , pesticides , herbicides , genetically modified products , etc. With these standards met, both consumers and farmers can benefit, with farmers getting the sufficient amount of money for their products, and the consumers getting their product knowing it’s safe to consume and has no effect on the producers financially or ethnically. These farmers must cooperate with businesses to produce the certified products, such amounts received will be higher and the lives of the farmers would be better. In addition, consumers should choose certified products in the supermarket or the market as this will support and will be helpful for farmers. In conclusion, fair trading is the way for farmers and coffee producers to get a higher amount, and will change lives for the better. Therefore farmers should choose fair trade to ensure benefits and consumers should choose products that have been certified to support the farmers. Reference * The problem with Fair Trade Coffee. * Retrieved August 30, 2013, from http://www. ssireview. org/articles/entry/the_problem_with_fair_trade_coffee * Coffee Production and Labor * Retrieved August 30, 2013, from http://www. organicconsumers. org/starbucks/coffeelabor. htm * Fair Trade Coffee * Retrieved August 30, 2013, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Fair_trade_coffee * International Coffee Organization- EXPORTING COUNTRIES: TOTAL PRODUCTION * Retrieved August 30, 2013, from http://www. ico. org/prices/po. htm * Health and effect of Coffee. * Retrieved August 30, 2013, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Health_effects_of_coffee * Environmental Impacts of Coffee and Tea Production * Retrieved September 2, 2013 from http://www. hellogreentomorrow. com/blog/2010/11/environmental-impacts-of-coffee-and-tea-production.

Major determinant of Cross-elasticity of Demand

Major determinant of Cross-elasticity of Demand When it comes to Cross-elasticity of demand, we must first illustrate the concept of elasticity of demand. We can say that elasticity of demand is the foundation of the theory of cross-elasticity of demand because elasticity of demand is related to only one good while cross-elasticity of demand is about the relation of 2 goods. We should first compare the elasticity of demand with the cross-elasticity of demand. Introduction of Elasticity of Demand Elasticity of demand is often referred to as the own-price elasticity of demand for a certain good, such as the elasticity of demand with respect to the price of a good. Elastic demand reflects that consumers are very price sensitive. This concept is understandable because we all know price is one of important determinant of quantity, and the quantity demanded of a good is negatively related to its price. We can suppose: for a seller, lower price promotes sales; for a buyer, higher price constraints their desire of purchase. Take the example from the textbook, suppose that a 10% increase in the price of an ice-cream cone causes the amount of ice cream you buy to fall by 20%. According to the formula We calculate your elasticity of demand as 20%/10%= 2. This result can be explained as the elasticity 2 reflects the change in the quantity demanded is twice as large as the change in the price in proportion. This result owes to reasons as follows: First, market for ice cream is very competitive instead of monopolistic. Second, consumers have choices of other substitutes such as other desserts. Third, when the price of ice cream rises, consumers can buy cakes, milk-shake or other desserts. The above formula usually yields a negative value, because of the inverse nature of the relationship between price and quantity demanded. They are described by the law of demand (Gillespie, Andrew (2007). p.43.) but economists tend to refer to price elasticity of demand as a positive value (i.e., in absolute value terms). Definition of Cross-elasticity of Demand Based on the theory mentioned above about price elasticity of demand, we can go further to find out the relation of two goods. In order to distinguish it from the elasticity of demand for that good with respect to the change in the price of some other good, i.e., a complementary or substitute good. (Png, Ivan (1999). p.57.) The latter type of elasticity measure is called a cross-price elasticity of demand. In microeconomics, cross-elasticity of demand is also called cross-price elasticity of demand, which measures the responsiveness of the demand for a good when there is a change in the price of another good. According to its definition, it is measured as the change in demand in percentage for the good A that occurs in response to a change in price in percentage of the good B. The formula to calculate cross-elasticity of demand is as follows: Major Determinant The cross-price elasticity of demand is often used to see how sensitive the demand for a good is to a price change of another good. The major determinant of cross-elasticity of demand is the closeness of the substitute or complement. A high positive cross-price elasticity indicates that if the price of a certain good goes up, the demand for the other good goes up as well. A negative one tells us the opposite that an increase in the price of one good causes a decrease in the demand for the other good. A small value (either negative or positive) tells us that there is little or no relation between the two goods. They are listed in the table below: Cross-price Elasticity Indication Example Graph A positive cross-price elasticity If the price of one good goes up, the demand for the other good goes up as well. Pork and chicken, etc. A negative cross-price elasticity An increase in the price of one good causes a drop in the demand for the other good. Bicycles and helmets; Petroleum and cars, etc. A small value There is little relation between the two goods. Things have little or no relation at all For example, if we suppose the price of chicken goes up by 20%, and as a result the quantity demanded of pork increases by 10%, at the premise that there is no change in the price of pork or anything else that would have influence on the demand for pork (such as quality, advertising, location, etc). Then the cross-elasticity of demand for pork, with respect to the price of chicken, is 10%/20% = 0.5. This concept is also easy to understand. Firstly, as we know that for two goods that complement each other show a negative cross elasticity of demand, which means that an increase in the price of one good cuts the demand for the other. For instance, if the price of bicycles goes up, we will expect to see a decline in the demand for bike helmets; if the price of petroleum goes down, the demand for car will be expected to rise. In this sort of case, we can say the goods are complements and they have a close link in price and demand. Secondly, on the contrary, two goods that are substitutes have a positive cross elasticity, it means that an increase in the price of one good will therefore increase the demand for the other good. When we observe a positive cross-elasticity, we can assume that the two goods are substitutes, as with chicken and pork, butter and margarine. The Third circumstance is two independent goods. If two goods are independent, undoubtedly they have a zero cross elasticity of demand. Practical Application For firms and corporations, it is necessary for them to know the cross-elasticity of demand for their products when they consider the effect on the demand for their products of a change facing with the challenging price of a rivals product or a complementary product. If the quality and appearance is almost the same (regardless of the factors of affection location, and loyalty, etc.) but the price of Firm A is higher than that of Firm B, most consumers will choose the products of Firms B. Among theories of marketing, pricing is not only difficult but technical. These are vital pieces of information for firms when making their production and strategic plans. However, for goods those complement each other, a firm is supposed to promote the sales of both the products and their complements. Nowadays, the price of petroleum is constantly high and it will continuously get higher in the near future. This is definitely a disaster for automotive industry. Some of the automobile companies adopt the strategy of reduction but gets an unsatisfactory feedback. What affects the decision of a consumer is mainly the price of petroleum instead of the automobile, so some companies think out of a promotional tactic: buy car get petro discounted (though the price of a car may be very expensive), and this may be to some extent cater to the consumers psychology. Another application of the concept of cross-elasticity of demand is in the field of international trade as well as the balance of payments around the world. Whats more, for different industries and fields, the concept of cross-elasticity of demand can be used to measure the closeness of relation of each other. For those monopoly enterprises, they are the unique suppliers in market and they are powerful enough to control the whole market, so they wont suffer the pressure from others. However, for some industries, such as Ministry of Railway, if it decides to raise the price in a large scale, many passengers will prefer other transportation, which will make aviation industry or highroad industry prosperous. This will undoubtedly lay itself in an unadvantageous position.

Convolutional Codes Simulation Using Matlab Computer Science Essay

Convolutional Codes Simulation Using Matlab Computer Science Essay Abstract: In order to reduce the effects of random and burst errors in transmitted signal it is necessary to use error-control coding. We researched some possibilities of such coding using the MATLAB Communications Toolbox. There are two types of codes available Linear Block Codes and Convolutional Codes. In block coding the coding algorithm transforms each piece (block) of information into a code word part of which is a generated structured redundancy. Convolutional code uses an extra parameter (memory). This puts an extra constraint on the code. Convolutional codes operate on serial data, one or a few bits at a time. This paper describes basic aspects of Convolutional codes and illustrates Matlab encoding and decoding implementations. Convolutional codes are often used to improve the performance of radio and satellite links. Key words: Convolutional codes, error-control coding, radio and satellite links. 1. Introduction Convolutional codes are commonly specified by three parameters (n,k,m): n = number of output bits; k = number of input bits; m = number of memory registers. The quantity k/n called the code rate, is a measure of the efficiency of the code. Commonly k and n parameters range from 1 to 8, m from 2 to 10 and the code rate from 1/8 to 7/8 except for deep space applications where code rates as low as 1/100 or even longer have been employed. Often the manufacturers of convolutional code chips specify [1] the code by parameters (n,k,L), The quantity L is called the constraint length of the code and is defined by Constraint Length, L = k (m-1). The constraint length L represents the number of bits in the encoder memory that affect the generation of the n output bits. The constraint length L is also referred to by the capital letter K, which can be confusing with the lower case k, which represents the number of input bits. In some books K is defined as equal to product the of k and m. Often in commercial spec, the codes are specified by (r, K), where r = the code rate k/n and K is the constraint length. The constraint length K however is equal to L 1, as defined in this paper. Even though a convolutional coder accepts a fixed number of message symbols and produces a fixed number of code symbols, its computations depend not only on the current set of input symbols but on some of the previous input symbols. In general, a rate R=k/n, k  £ n, convolutional encoder input (information sequence) is a sequence of binary k-tuples, u = ..,u-1, u0, u1, u2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, where . The output (code sequence) is a sequence of binary n-tuples, v = ..,v-1, v0, v1, v2,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦, where . The sequences must start at a finite (positive or negative) time and may or may not end. The relation between the information sequences and the code sequences is determined by the equation v = uG , where is the semi-infinite generator matrix, and where the sub-matrices G i , 0 £ i £ m, are binary kXn matrices. The arithmetic in v = uG is carried out over the binary field, F 2 , and the parts left blank in the generator matrix G are assumed to be filled in with zeros. The right hand side of v= uG defines a discrete-time convolution between u and , hence, the name convolutional codes [2]. As in many other situations where convolutions appear it is convenient to express the sequences in some sort of transform. In information theory and coding theory [3], [4] it is common to use the delay operator D, the D-transform. The information and code sequences becomes and They are related through the equation , where is the generator matrix. The set of polynomial matrices is a special case of the rational generator matrices. Hence, instead of having finite impulse response in the encoder, as for the polynomial case, we can allow periodically repeating infinite impulse responses. To make the formal definitions for this case it is easier to start in the D-domain. Let F 2((D)) denote the field of binary Laurent series. The element contains at most finitely many negative powers of D. similarly, let F 2[D] denote the ring of binary polynomials. A polynomial contains no negative powers of D and only finitely many positive. Given a pair of polynomials x(D), y(D)Æ’Å ½ F 2[D], where y(D) ¹0, we can obtain the element x(D)/y(D)Æ’Å ½ F 2((D)) by long division. All non-zero ratios x(D)/y(D) are invertible, so they form the field of binary rational functions, F 2(D), which is a sub-field of F 2((D)). A rate R = k/n (binary) convolutional transducer over the field of rational functions F 2(D) is a linear mapping which can be represented as v(D)=u(D)G(D), where G(D) is a k X n transfer function matrix of rank k with entries in F 2(D) and v(D) is called the code sequence corresponding to the information sequence u(D). A rate R = k/n convolutional code C over F 2 is the image set of a rate R = k/n convolutional transducer. We will only consider realizable (causal) transfer function matrices, which we call generator matrices. A transfer function matrix of a convolutional code is called a generator matrix if it is realizable (causal). It follows from the definitions that a rate R = k/n convolutional code C with the k X n generator matrix G(D) is the row space of G(D) over F((D)). Hence, it is the set of all code sequences generated by the convolutional generator matrix, G(D). A rate R = k/n convolutional encoder of a convolutional code with rate R = k/n generator matrix G(D) over F 2(D) is a realization by linear sequential circuits of G(D). 2. Convolutional encoder simulation The Convolutional Encoder block encodes a sequence of binary input vectors to produce a sequence of binary output vectors. This block can process multiple symbols at a time. If the encoder takes k input bit streams (that is, can receive 2k possible input symbols), then this blocks input vector length is L*k for some positive integer L. Similarly, if the encoder produces n output bit streams (that is, can produce 2n possible output symbols), then this blocks output vector length is L*n. The input can be a sample-based vector with L  =  1, or a frame-based column vector with any positive integer for L. For a variable in the MATLAB workspace [5], [6] that contains the trellis structure, we put its name as the Trellis structure parameter. This way is preferable because it causes Simulink [5] to spend less time updating the diagram at the beginning of each simulation, compared to the usage in the next bulleted item. For specify the encoder using its constraint length, generator polyno mials, and possibly feedback connection polynomials, we used a poly2trellis command within the Trellis structure field. For example, for an encoder with a constraint length of 7, code generator polynomials of 171 and 133 (in octal numbers), and a feedback connection of 171 (in octal), we have used the Trellis structure parameter to poly2trellis(7,[171 133],171). The encoder registers begin in the all-zeros state. We configured the encoder so that it resets its registers to the all-zeros state during the course of the simulation: The value None indicates that the encoder never resets; The value On each frame indicates that the encoder resets at the beginning of each frame, before processing the next frame of input data; The value On nonzero Rst input causes the block to have a second input port, labeled Rst. The signal at the Rst port is a scalar signal. When it is nonzero, the encoder resets before processing the data at the first input port. 3. Convolutional decoder simulation 3.1. Viterbi Decoder The Viterbi Decoder block [7], [1] decodes input symbols to produce binary output symbols. This block can process several symbols at a time for faster performance. If the convolutional code uses an alphabet of 2n possible symbols, then this blocks input vector length is L*n for some positive integer L. Similarly, if the decoded data uses an alphabet of 2k possible output symbols, then this blocks output vector length is L*k. The integer L is the number of frames that the block processes in each step. The input can be either a sample-based vector with L  =  1, or a frame-based column vector with any positive integer for L. The entries of the input vector are either bipolar, binary, or integer data, depending on the Decision type parameter: Unquantized Real numbers; Hard Decision 0, 1; Soft Decision Integers between 0 and 2k-1, where k is the Number of soft decision bits parameter, with 0 for most confident decision for logical zero and 2k-1, most confident decision for logical one. Other values represent less confident decisions. If the input signal is frame-based, then the block has three possible methods for transitioning between successive frames. The Operation mode parameter controls which method the block uses: In Continuous mode, the block saves its internal state metric at the end of each frame, for use with the next frame. Each traceback path is treated independently. In Truncated mode, the block treats each frame independently. The traceback path starts at the state with the best metric and always ends in the all-zeros state. This mode is appropriate when the corresponding Convolutional Encoder block has its Reset parameter set to On each frame. In Terminated mode, the block treats each frame independently, and the traceback path always starts and ends in the all-zeros state. This mode is appropriate when the uncoded message signal (that is, the input to the corresponding Convolutional Encoder block) has enough zeros at the end of each frame to fill all memory registers of the encoder. If the encoder has k input streams and constraint length vector constr (using the polynomial description), then enough means k*max(constr-1). In the special case when the frame-based input signal contains only one symbol, the Continuous mode is most appropriate. The Traceback depth parameter, D, influences the decoding delay. The decoding delay is the number of zero symbols that precede the first decoded symbol in the output. If the input signal is sample-based, then the decoding delay consists of D zero symbols. If the input signal is frame-based and the Operation mode parameter is set to Continuous, then the decoding delay consists of D zero symbols. If the Operation mode parameter is set to Truncated or Terminated, then there is no output delay and the Traceback depth parameter must be less than or equal to the number of symbols in each frame. If the code rate is 1/2, then a typical Traceback depth value is about five times the constraint length of the code. The reset port is usable only when the Operation mode parameter is set to Continuous. Checking the Reset input check box causes the block to have an additional input port, labeled Rst. When the Rst input is nonzero, the decoder returns to its initial state by configuring its internal memory as follows: Sets the all-zeros state metric to zero; Sets all other state metrics to the maximum value; Sets the traceback memory to zero; Using a reset port on this block is analogous to setting the Reset parameter in the Convolutional Encoder block to On nonzero Rst input. 3.2. APP Decoder The APP Decoder block [8] performs a posteriori probability (APP) decoding of a convolutional code. The input L(u) represents the sequence of log-likelihoods of encoder input bits, while the input L(c) represents the sequence of log-likelihoods of code bits. The outputs L(u) and L(c) are updated versions of these sequences, based on information about the encoder. If the convolutional code uses an alphabet of 2n possible symbols, then this blocks L(c) vectors have length Q*n for some positive integer Q. Similarly, if the decoded data uses an alphabet of 2k possible output symbols, then this blocks L(u) vectors have length Q*k. The integer Q is the number of frames that the block processes in each step. The inputs can be either: Sample-based vectors having the same dimension and orientation, with Q  =  1; Frame-based column vectors with any positive integer for Q. To define the convolutional encoder that produced the coded input, we have used the Trellis structure MATLAB parameter. We tested two ways: The name as the Trellis structure parameter, for a variable in the MATLAB workspace that contains the trellis structure. This way is preferable because it causes Simulink to spend less time updating the diagram at the beginning of each simulation, compared to the usage in the next bulleted item; For specify the encoder using its constraint length, generator polynomials, and possibly feedback connection polynomials, we used a poly2trellis command within the Trellis structure field. For example, for an encoder with a constraint length of 7, code generator polynomials of 171 and 133 (in octal numbers), and a feedback connection of 171 (in octal), we used the Trellis structure parameter to poly2trellis(7,[171 133],171. To indicate how the encoder treats the trellis at the beginning and end of each frame, its necessary to set the Termination method parameter to either Truncated or Terminated. The Truncated option indicates that the encoder resets to the all-zeros state at the beginning of each frame, while the Terminated option indicates that the encoder forces the trellis to end each frame in the all-zeros state. We can control part of the decoding algorithm using the Algorithm parameter. The True APP option implements a posteriori probability. To gain speed, both the Max* and Max options approximate expressions by other quantities. The Max option uses max{ai} as the approximation, while the Max* option uses max{ai} plus a correction term. The Max* option enables the Scaling bits parameter in the mask. This parameter is the number of bits by which the block scales the data it processes internally. We have used this parameter to avoid losing precision during the computations. It is especially appropriate for implementation uses fixed-point components. 4. Conclusions In these work we have constructed and tested in Maple convolutional encoders and decoders of various types, rates, and memories. Convolutional codes are fundamentally different from other classes of codes, in that a continuous sequence of message bits is mapped into a continuous sequence of encoder output bits. It is well-known in the literature and practice that these codes achieve a larger coding gain than that with block coding with the same complexity. The encoder operating at a rate 1/n bits/symbol, may be viewed as a finite-state machine that consists of an M-stage shift register with prescribed connections to n modulo-2 adders, and a multiplexer that serializes the outputs of the adders.

Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay: An Analysis -- Love Song J. Alf

An Analysis of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock The general fragmentation of "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is obvious. The poem seems a perfect example of what Terry Eagleton calls the modern "transition from metaphor to metonymy: unable any longer to totalize his experience in some heroic figure, the bourgeois is forced to let it trickle away into objects related to him by sheer contiguity." Everything in "Prufrock" trickles away into parts related to one another only by contiguity. Spatial progress in the poem is diffident or deferred, a "scuttling" accomplished by a pair of claws disembodied so violently they remain "ragged." In the famous opening, "the evening is spread out against the sky / Like a patient etherised upon a table," and the simile makes an equation between being spread out and being etherised that continues elsewhere in the poem when the evening, now a bad patient, "malingers, / Stretched on the floor, here beside you and me." There it "sleeps so peacefully! / Smoothed by long fingers . . . ." This suspe nsion is a rhetorical as well as a spatial and emotional condition. The "streets that follow like a tedious argument / Of insidious intent" lead not to a conclusion but to a question, a question too "overwhelming" even to ask. Phrases like the "muttering retreats / Of restless nights" combine physical blockage, emotional unrest, and rhetorical maundering in an equation that seems to make the human being a combination not of angel and beast but of road-map and Roberts' Rules of Order. In certain lines, metaphor dissolves into metonymy before the reader's eyes. "The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes" appears clearly to every reader as a cat, but the cat itself is absent, repr... ...becomes a collection of individual parts, just as the poem's human denizens had been little more than parts: "And I have known the eyes already, known them all"; "And I have known the arms already known them all." The instantaneous movement from part to whole, from eyes, arms, evenings, mornings, to "all," expresses the emptiness between, the gap between dispersed parts and an oppressive whole made of purely serial repetition. The very reduction of human beings to parts of themselves and of time to episodes makes it impossible to conceive of any whole different from this empty, repetitious "an." As Burke says, metonymy substitutes quantity for quality, so that instead of living life Prufrock feels "I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. Â   Works Cited Michael North, The Political Aesthetic of Yeats, Eliot, and Pound. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991.

Marcus Mosiah Garvey :: rastafarianism, reggae music

Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a powerful black revolutionary and race leader who influenced a great many people in his time and continues to do so through reggae music. Many of Marcus Garvey's lessons and ideals have found a voice in the lyrics of conscious reggae musicians past and present. From internationally famous musicians such as Bob Marley and Burning Spear, to the music and words of The Rastafari Elders, reggae musicians have found inspiration in Marcus Garvey. For many reggae musicians, their work is about more than music, it is a tool for teaching the masses. Peter Tosh at a concert in California told the audience the reason why he was there."Don't think I come here for entertainment. I and I come to flash lightening, earthquake, and thunder in these places of destruction and unrighteousness."2 Tosh and many musicians like him are taking reggae to a higher level, one where the musicians are prophets of Garvey and Rasta. Much of the teachings of reggae are based on a Rastafarian view, as this is the religion of many of the conscious reggae musicians that preach the Garvey message. Rastafarianism owes a lot to Marcus Garvey, as he is credited as the founder. The religion was born on the words"Look to Africa for the crowning of a Black king."3 They waited and in 1930, the prophecy was fulfilled when, Ras Tafari Mekonnen was crowned emperor of Ethiopia and took the name Haile Selassie. Working from the bible and their own interpretations of it, the Rastafarians found evidence to support their claim and a religion was born. Marcus Garvey is considered part of the Rastafari Trinity, and"is second only to Haile Selassie,"4 the Rastafari God. Whether singing directly about Marcus Mosiah Garvey, or about Rastafarianism, reggae musicians are helping to spread the teachings of this black prophet and revolutionary to millions of music listeners all over the world. Marcus Garvey was born in 1887 in the St. Ann's Parish in Jamaica. He came from a large, poor family and due to lack of money, when he was fourteen Garvey left school and became a printer's apprentice. By the age of eighteen he had become a master printer. Garvey had always been a quick learner and when he became the foreman of a printing company in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica,"he continued his education by reading extensively, taking advantage of the company library."5 However, Marcus Garvey's political feelings soon got in the way when the workers went on strike in 1909.

Ikea Case Study

IKEA Dr. Okan Geray Please read the IKEA case from the textbook and answer the following questions: 1. Explain, in detail, the aspects of IKEA strategy that make it a Hybrid strategy. A hybrid strategy is where the costs are low and the perceived benefits are high. In the case it is mentioned that IKEA is not for the rich and flamboyant but for the smart and practical people. This is clearly seen with the designs where it holds universal acknowledgement rather than cultural or national ideas.It blends into its furniture styling and design with low cost and has large stores where they guide their customers and incline them towards buying certain products that are displayed. The styling and design is then supported by low cost, on request or immediate delivery, which allows them to not only buy the product immediately but also transport them without must hassles. The flat packs allow logistical advantage and cost benefits and an informal infrastructure motivates the staff.The procureme nt is very intense and brings cost benefits and is also widely spread out across the world with suppliers in China and Sweden and their head quarters are based in Norway for tax savings. In the above ways IKEA brings higher benefits at lower costs to the consumer and therefore is a hybrid strategy. 2. Why is this strategy difficult for competitors to imitate? It is difficult for competitors to imitate because IKEA is a global furnishings company where as other competitors are highly focused into particular regions.This inaccessibility of its competitors limits its breadth of customer reach. Some of its competitors are not even specialised in furnishings but are more towards general stores there for specialisation benefits are lost. IKEA runs a strict cost cutting budget where it focuses more on costs and lesser towards design IKEA not only does provide furniture but also provide furnishing solutions where it has different variants of products to suite customer needs. It is aware of customer needs and is able to provide that at the correct price and at the same instant.The informal hierarchy forms unpredictable behaviour, which cannot be predicted, therefore cannot be imitated. 3. What are the dangers of a hybrid strategy and how can managers guard against them? There is a high risk that once the customer base has been established companies tend to drift towards increasing their products and providing additional services by charging additionally, even though this adds value to the product it alternately also adds costs which is directly against the policy of IKEA in this case.IKEA does provide additional services but with the optional additional charges which allows customers to choose cost savings Companies are also then inclined to reduce value but at the same historical price this lowers the perceived value of the product and pulls the company into the low cost category also robbing the company of its strategic advantage as a hybrid strategy player. Managers would need to recognise their hybrid strategy and their parameters that allow them to be in this category and enforce those parameters on the complete value chain.This does not imply to only the procurement and manufacturing of the products but also to the administrative aspects, such as seen with the CEO of IKEA UK. The designing of the product has been suited to the world market rather than specific market, this universal approach allows populations of different nationalities to relate to it, this collective design approach is a key factor in Ikeas marketing strategy and therefore any such products or designs favouring or resembling a particular culture unintentionally should be disassociated and discouraged.

Boston Beer Company Essay

You are the investment banker assigned with the task of setting the IPO price for Boston Beer Company (BBC). Prepare a research report to support your recommendation. As you prepare this report, you may find that you would like to have more field information than what the case offers you. However, the case contains critical information that gives you a reasonable basis to compute its valuation. In addition use the following information for 1995. 1 Sales ($ millions) Redhook Pete’s BBC 25. 89 59. 17 151. 31 EPS . 75 . 25 . 40 Book value/share 7. 70 4. 33 3. 00 Price 27. 00 24. 75 ? Also, use the following information for BBC for 1996. Make additional assumptions as necessary (and state any additional assumptions) to compute free cash flows for subsequent years: 1. The ratio of Net profit before taxes to sales is 12%. 2. Tax rate is 35% 3. For every dollar of increased sales BBC will increase working capital by 15% (or working capital will increase by $0. 15 for every dollar of increased sales) 4. Capex is 2% of sales 5. Depreciation is 2% of sales 6. BBC’s beta is 1. 2. Use BBC’s cost of equity as its WACC since its debt is a trivial part of its capital structure. 7. Analysts’ growth forecast for BBC and for the craft brewing segment in general is 30% per year over the next five years. Present the following: 1. Overview of the industry – competitive landscape, expected short-term and longterm industry growth, key players in the industry. Summarize the key facts from the case in about one to two paragraphs. Identify the closest peers to BBC. †¢ Also, present as separate analysis of the relative growth of the craft brewing segment. Suppose the craft brewing segment grows at 30% per year for the next five years. What would be the % share (as a % of barrels sold) of the craft brewing segment in the beer industry? What would be the % share of the craft brewing segment if this segment grows at a 30% per year rate for the next 10 years? How do you expect established players in the market to react if this segment of the market grows at these rates? Some of the information for Pete’s and Redhook given below differ from the case. Use the information here in your analysis. 1 2. Business description and a brief history of the company. Does the company have any unique strategic positioning within the industry? – One paragraph 3. Present a qualitative assessment of the future outlook for the company. For example, are there any new products in the pipeline? Do you anticipate any competitive threats? Based on these developments, do you expect BBC’s growth and profitability to improve deteriorate, or stay about the same as in the past? 4. Revenue Forecasts and Free cash flow forecasts for the next ten years– †¢ Specifically explain if you are forecasting revenue and FCF growths and profit margins that are significantly different from the company’s historical experience and why. 5. Present a DCF analysis and determine BBC’s intrinsic value. Assume that BBC’s Enterprise Value/ NOPLAT will be 18 ten years from now (check for sensitivities by assuming a multiple of either 15 or 20). 6. Present a valuation based on valuation ratios (P/B, P/E, P/S) for comparable firms. What price would you recommend based on these valuation ratios? Based on your recommended price, is BBC’s P/B ratio bigger or smaller than that of Redhook? Of Pete’s? Can you justify this difference? Do the same analysis for P/E and P/S ratios. (Note: Suppose a particular valuation ratio for one firm is 25 and you recommend a corresponding valuation multiple of 35 for BBC. 2 Justify why BBC would command a higher valuation ratio. Justify the direction of the difference (higher or lower) and you do not have to precisely justify why BBC’s valuation multiple should be 35 rather than a different number, say 34. ) 7. Recommend an IPO price. 2 The numbers 25 and 35 that I use here are arbitrary, and I picked them only to explain the idea. Don’t attach any importance to these specific numbers.